Rating: ★★★★★
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: YA
Pages: 352 pages
Goodreads
I received this book for review from Bloomsbury. Though I am extremely grateful, this in no way influences my opinion.
When We Collided starts out as a typical YA novel. Quirky female character from the big city goes to a small town and meets a cute local boy with issues. Though it seemed predictable at the start, something about Emery Lord's writing kept me reading. There was immediately an undertone of a deeper story and I couldn't wait to find out exactly where these characters would go.
To say I wasn't disappointed is an understatement: I was blown away. I won't reveal much of the plot here, because I think the element of surprise is a great bonus if you read this story, but I can tell you that the characters are amazing. When We Collided alternates between the perspectives of Vivi and Jonah. Vivi initially kind of annoyed me, because she wanted to be special for the sake of being special. However, as early as the end of chapter one, some things just don't add up about her and I couldn't wait to find out what made her the way she is.
Jonah on the other hand is a completely different story. I immediately fell in love with him and that feeling only grew during the story. There are so few guys in YA who are narrators and genuine good guys - now we finally have Jonah. After the death of his father, he has to take care of his family and I loved how realistic this was portrayed. His mother is depresses, so clearly all the older sibling step up and take care of the younger ones, but they complain about it! They hate it at times, are angry and resentful towards their mother, which are natural feelings that are rushed over in other YA novels. Jonah might be somewhat of a hero, but only because he has to be, not because he necessarily wants to be.
Clearly, when unpredictable, big city VIvi and responsible Jonah 'collide', sparks are about to fly. Thanks to Emery Lord's realistic writing style, it's never a cliché love story and the plot is tight and exciting enough to keep you reading until the very last word.